Although you might get a colonoscopy at any age to diagnose or rule out various gastrointestinal conditions, the American Cancer Society recommends people with an average risk of colorectal cancer start screening at age 45.
But a colonoscopy doesn’t have to be shrouded in mystery. Here are eight things doctors want you to know about getting one.
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“If we can find polyps and take them out before they even transform into a cancer, we're preventing people from ever having to hear those words, 'You have cancer,’” May says.
While it’s not exactly pleasant, “you want to do the prep once and do it right,” says Dr. Sreeni Jonnalagadda, a gastroenterologist at Saint Luke’s Hospital Abdominal Transplant and Multispecialty Clinic in Kansas City, Mo. Adhere carefully to the instructions you’ve been given, and call the clinic if you have questions or doubts.
A few days before your procedure, switch to what’s called a low-residue diet—one free of high-fiber foods like whole grains, fruits, and raw vegetables—which will help minimize the amount of undigested food that lingers in your colon. Stay away from nuts and seeds, which can clog the scope. Eating more lightly than usual can also make the impending “evacuation” a little easier: “What goes in has to come out,” May says.
A day without solid food might sound awful, but “different people swear by what works for them,” Jonnalagadda says. Clear fruit juices, clear soda, and black tea or coffee are allowed the day before the procedure, along with broth or bouillon for protein.
Everyone tolerates the prep solution differently
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People who suffer from constipation “may want to ask their doctors and say, ‘I tend to run really constipated, do I need a little extra?’” suggests Dr. Uri Ladabaum, who heads the clinical service of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford University School of Medicine and is the director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program.
You probably won’t remember the procedure While prep is intensive, and there can be some waiting both before and after the colonoscopy, “your procedure itself is probably only about 30 minutes,” May says.
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It’s just another day at the office for your doctor
Don’t feel bad if you’ve put it off—just do it If you’ve delayed your colonoscopy, try to get back on track as soon as possible, Ladabaum says. “Number one: don’t feel guilty about it. Number two: don’t freak out. Number three: don’t get the wrong message, which is, ‘Oh, I don’t need it,’” he says. “The whole point of screening is we are looking for disease when it's not symptomatic to try to prevent bad things from happening.”
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